CIA gets Indian-origin CTO Nand Mulchandani. Here’s how ‘Jason Bourne’ films helped him crack the interview
Agencies
Mulchandani said that he wouldn’t have made it through high-stress jobs without a good sense of humour. (LinkedIn)
Synopsis
The new CTO at CIA is an alumnus of Delhi’s Bluebells School International.
By ET Online
May 02, 2022, 11:21 AM IST
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Any Indian being elevated to global ranks is a matter of pride for Indians around the world. And, if it happens to be the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), USA, all the more curiosity to know the individual, their work, and their life. On April 29, another Indian-origin professional joined the evergrowing list of Indians making it big in the global arena.
CIA Director William J Burns appointed Nand Mulchandani as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of one of the best intelligence agencies in the world. Mulchandani is the first professional to take on the coveted role of CTO for the central agency.
While announcing the appointment, Director Burns said that Mulchandani has over 25 years of experience and that the new CTO will ensure that the CIA is leveraging cutting-edge innovations to further its mission.
I am honoured to join the CIA in this role and look forward to working with the Agency’s incredible team of technologists and domain experts who already deliver world-class intelligence and capabilities to help build a comprehensive technology strategy that delivers exciting capabilities working closely with industry and partners,” Mulchandani was quoted as saying by an official blog post by the agency.
Who Is Nand Mulchandani?
Nand Mulchandani studied at Bluebells School International between 1979 and 1987, before he went on to pursue academics in some of the world-renowned universities. According to his LinkedIn profile, he obtained a degree in Computer Science And Mathematics from Cornell University in 1991. He went on to obtain a Master of Science in Management in 2018 from Stanford and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 2019.
Before being appointed as the CTO of the CIA, Mulchandani served as the Acting Director of the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center under the Department of Defence, US. He also co-founded and served as CEO of several technology companies such as Oblix, OpneDS, ScaleXtreme, Determina, etc.
On Technology And Intelligence
Following the announcement, Mulchandani took to LinkedIn to share his excitement for the new beginning. In a lengthy post on his LinkedIn Profile, Mulchandani expressed his joy and excitement for being appointed as the first CTO at the CIA.
“I'm excited to announce that I'll be joining the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as their first-ever Chief Technology Officer! I tried to leave a few breadcrumbs at the end of my last post when I was leaving the Department of Defense with just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in," he began his post.
Mulchandani went on to elaborate on how technology is rapidly expanding and how it has become integral to Human Intelligence gathering which was at the core of almost all other types of intelligence that is collected and processed. He said that considering the significant impact of technology on the CIA’s mission, Director Burns made the focus on technology one of the top priorities for the agency. And, creating a new role that directly reports to the director was a signal of how serious the agency is about driving change.
Technology is eating the world, and there is no question around the impact it is having on Human Intelligence gathering (HUMINT), which is surprisingly at the core of almost all the other types of intelligence that is collected and processed. This impact is so significant to the CIA's mission that Director Burns made the focus on Technology one of his top priorities. Creating this new role and having it report directly to him is a clear signal that he's serious about driving this change,” his post read.
The ‘Jason Bourne’ Connection
Mulchandani went on to express how fortunate he was to be considered for the role. He even quipped about drawing inspirations from ‘Jason Bourne’ movies with Matt Damon and ‘Central Intelligence’ with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart to prepare for the interviews.
“I couldn't be a luckier person to get this job and am excited to continue my journey in public service with the CIA. As you can imagine, it was hard to prepare for the interviews when the information flow is so one-sided; the best that I could find were the Jason Bourne movies with Matt Damon and "Central Intelligence" with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart. Since I got the job you know these are all reliable sources of background material, and I know I'm going to be pleasantly surprised how accurate those movies are!” he said in a post where he also answered the questions posed by commenters and supporters regarding his posting.
Mulchandani went on to clarify the post of CTO that has been offered to him. He also said that he is going to be in a public-facing position and that not everyone at the CIA was an undercover agent. The incoming CTO also clarified that the CIA was engaged in serious work and the joke surrounding Hollywood spy movies was directed at himself.
“I have worked in high-stress jobs my entire career and don't think I would have made it through without having a good sense of humor. Some didn't see the joke in preparing for the interviews by watching B-grade spy movies. I don't know what to say ... the work that the Agency does is very serious and important, and the joke was actually directed at myself. I'm glad it made some readers laugh,” he said while concluding his post.
nand mulchandani: CIA gets Indian-origin CTO Nand Mulchandani. Here’s how ‘Jason Bourne’ films helped him crack the interview - The Economic Times
The new CTO at CIA is an alumnus of Delhis Bluebells School International.
